NFC North Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/2/2013

The NFC North was the best division in football in 2012. Teams in the North combined to go 23-17 against the rest of the league last year. Those 23 wins were tied with the NFC West for the most in the NFL, but the North was the only division to produce three teams with 10 or more wins.

AFC West Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2013

I don’t know what it is about the West Coast, but football doesn’t exactly flourish there. The NFC West had been the worst division in football over the past decade. They are attempting a revival. But in the meantime the AFC West has taken up a post as the league’s outhouse.

AFC North Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2013

Three of the four divisions in the AFC are all but decided before a single game has been played. Miami might threaten embattled New England. But no one seriously thinks they will overtake them. The same can be said for Indianapolis in the South; they could put up a good fight, but it would be a massive upset if Houston didn’t win a third straight division title.

2013 NFL Power Rankings – Preseason Edition
by Robert Ferringo - 7/31/2013

I wish I had something provocative or surprising to offer you in the way of The Best Team in Football. But it is the 49ers. San Francisco is the best team in the best conference in the game. The offseason didn’t sabotage them. Each loss to free agency or injury was replaced by a comparable part. The 49ers have the best defense and one of the best running games in the NFL.

NFC West Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/25/2013

The NFC West is being touted as one of the best divisions in football heading into the 2013 season. San Francisco and Seattle are on the short list of favorites to win the Super Bowl. St. Louis is harnessing the Power of the Moustache as Jeff Fisher lays track. And even perennial doormat Arizona, armed with a new coach and quarterback, feels that it is ready to compete in the top conference.

NFC East Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/23/2013

Remember when the NFC East was the Land of Punishment? Remember when these teams were among the toughest, most physical in the entire NFL; when yards were earned with kitten’s blood and baby’s tears, and there was absolutely no backing down between these rugged rivals?

AFC East Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/23/2013

So what did I miss? The AFC East had quite the offseason. The Bills made a surprise move to grab a new head coach and are starting their 83rd rebuild in the last 10 years. (The Flutie Curse lives!) The Jets spent the last few months continuing their traveling circus. Miami was a major player in free agency, with several big signings, not at all looking like a desperate attempt to stay relevant in South Beach.

NFL Handicapping: Analyzing New AFC Defensive Coordinators
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

While most of the football-loving world keeps its focus on just the head coaching changes throughout the NFL, coordinators often go unnoticed except by fans of respective teams or football insiders. However, understanding the shifting schemes and systems that dictate the action on the field is a vital part of becoming a top NFL handicapper.

NFL Handicapping: Analyzing New NFC Defensive Coordinators
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

As NFL offenses continue to evolve and incorporate more passing and more read-option facets, NFL defensive coordinators are tasked with keeping up. Eleven defensive coordinator positions – over one-third of the entire league – changed hands during the offseason. And how defenses respond to their new schemes, systems and leaders will go a long way in determining how their teams may fair this season.

NFL Handicapping: Rob Ryan Is Actually Terrible At His Job
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

And just like all those teams – the Lions, the 49ers, the Bears – late in Mike Martz’s career that got sucked into believing the hype of Mad Martz over the actual production, it is only a matter of time before Reality hits the Saints like an unblocked blindside blitzer and that Rob Ryan is exposed as the fraud that he is.

NFL Handicapping: Ranking The New NFL Head Coaches
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

That also means that a full one-quarter of all pro football teams will be led by new taskmasters as training camps open at the end of this month. While that seems like an excessive amount of coaching turnover it is actually pretty average for what has become a churn-and-burn league.

NFL Handicapping: Chip Kelly, Eagles Headed For A Rough Season
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

I don’t care about the weird drama and maneuvering around Kelly’s hiring. I don’t care that better college coaches have flamed out in the pros. I don’t care that Kelly has zero NFL experience. I don’t care that he’s never worked through anything like the pressure cooker of Philadelphia fans and media. I don’t even care that Kelly inherits a team ill equipped to run his systems or that he spent the entire offseason building negative karma while fighting those players.

NFL Handicapping: New Offensive Coordinator Breakdown, Part 1
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

In the NFL, Norv Turner is the embodiment of the Peter Principal. Turner really is an amazing offensive coach. He was behind some of the best attacks of all-time. But as a head coach Norv Turner was a complete and total loser.

NFL Handicapping: New Offensive Coordinator Breakdown, Part 2
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

Earlier we discussed the Peter Principle and how it relates to NFL coordinators. We took that a step further and broke down the newest crop of offensive coordinators throughout the league, as well as the “stock potential” of each of these new coaches. Here is Part 2 of our look at the new offensive coordinators taking over for the 2013 NFL season.

NFL Handicapping: Teams With New Coaches A Good Bet
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

That’s turnover in one-quarter of the league’s coaching staffs over the last six months, and it means a load of uncertainty heading into the regular season. If there is one thing that betting markets don’t like it is uncertainty. But does that create opportunities for NFL gamblers?

NFL Handicapping: Jump Off The Seahawks Bandwagon, Quickly
by Robert Ferringo - 7/17/2013

The Seahawks appear to be a team on the rise. With a hot young quarterback in Russell Wilson, a nasty and physical defense, and the confidence of a team that believes it is laying a championship foundation there is a lot to like about this group.

Andrew Luck Sucks: Colts Headed Towards Disappointing Season
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2013

I’m a professional handicapper and a gambler. My tolerance for hype and media-driven propaganda is low. I trade in information. I need facts. I need data. And I use this knowledge to make projections and predictions that keep me ahead of the general betting public, whose wagering is inexorably influenced by inane, ESPN drivel about “who is the best quarterback in the NFL” or “whether The Next Big Thing is actually The Best Thing EVER”!

2013 NBA Draft: 10 Undervalued Prospects
by Robert Ferringo - 6/27/2013

Some of the players I have broken down below are household names. Some are not. But rather than labeling the follow players as “steals” I will just say that here is a list of 10 players that I would want and they guys that, were my favorite team to call their name tonight, I would leave the draft feeling like the franchise accomplished something:

2013 NBA Draft: 10 Overvalued Prospects
by Robert Ferringo - 6/27/2013

Criticizing the draft pool has become a go-to move for ESPN trolls and wannabe college basketball “experts”. But the fact is that most people degrade the draft participants mainly because they don’t know jack about college basketball. And other than a few games during the NCAA Tournament they simply haven’t seen these guys play very much.

Rangers at Cardinals Picks and MLB Series Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 6/21/2013

The allure of American League vs. National League baseball action may be gone now that these matchups have been integrated into the general schedule. But that doesn’t mean that baseball fans are still treated to the occasional intriguing interleague matchup.